What if?
by MariaShadow
Summary: G1 Just a random little bit of twin fic about a question I'm sure most siblings have asked at some point or another.
1. Chapter 1

What if?

The twins were lounging in their quarters one evening; Sideswipe sprawled across the top bunk reading a magazine at arm's length while Sunstreaker sat on the bottom bunk, waxing his armour.

Sideswipe rolled over onto his belly and wiggled around until his upper body was hanging over the side of his bunk, the magazine dangling from his fingers.

"Hey Sunny?" he asked  
"Yeah?"  
"Whadda ya think it would be like if we had a sister?"

Sunstreaker looked up from polishing his leg and gave his upside down brother a wary look. "You been into Wheeljack's moonshine again?" he asked suspiciously.  
"No." Was the indignant reply, "Was just wondering, that's all."  
The yellow twin paused, head tilted to one side to think. "She'd have to be tall." He said at last. "Tall but not too leggy."  
"'Bout half a head shorter than me?" Sideswipe suggested.  
"Yeah, about that high." Sunstreaker agreed. "She'd look kinda like us, but not."  
"Same but different. Pretty and sweet, but with our sense of humour." Sideswipe flashed a cheeky grin.  
His twin nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, a real scrapper like us, a live wire, not one of those stupid damsels in distress."

Sunstreaker leaned back and picked up a sketchpad and a stylus from the cupboard built into the wall beside his bed. He balanced the pad against his thigh and roughed out the shape of a femme.

"Don't make her too dainty." Sideswipe said, still hanging upside down with his arms dangling. "She's a fighter, not some ornament."  
"Mmm. What kind of alt mode?"  
"Sports car, something small and fast so she can keep up with us. Ferrari maybe?"  
"Yeah, that'd work." Sunstreaker sketched in the new details.

"Give her doorwings too." Sideswipe added. "Like Prowl, but not the helmet."  
"Something swept back?" Sunstreaker suggested.  
"Yup, nice and elegant. She's got us to compete with so she has to look good."  
"Don't you mean she's got me to compete with?" Sunstreaker teased, winking at his twin and ducking as Sideswipe attempted to wack his brother with the magazine. "Visor or face mask?"  
"Nah. She's got looks, let her flaunt them if she likes. We'll pound anyone who gets too friendly."

Both twins grinned.

"How do you think she'll fight?" Sideswipe asked, still watching his brother.  
Sunstreaker chewed his lip for a moment. "Gracefully." He answered. "She'll be built to move. 'Cause she can't be as strong as us, she'd have to dodge the blows that we'd take."  
"We'll teach her how to fight though, right?"  
"'Course. We're the best there is. I don't want her to get hurt cause she tripped over her own feet running away." Sunstreaker retorted. "We'll teach her sword fighting, hand to hand, all of it. Don't want to give her a missile launcher or anything like that though, it'll add to her weight and cut down her speed and agility."

"Plus it won't look as good." Sideswipe shifted his position slightly. "Make her a medic? With us as brothers she'd have to know first aid at least." He grinned again.  
"That'd mean small hands though." Sunstreaker replied, sketching in a small diagram of a hand on the top right corner of the pad.  
"So? Make 'em small but strong, and slim fingers too, so she can go poking around inside us easily."  
"Alright."

There was another pause as Sunstreaker worked.

"Ok, now for colour." The yellow twin announced as he snagged a small bundle of colour sticks.  
"Make her a pale blue and very light grey." Sideswipe instructed.  
"Why?"  
"Well, we've both got strong colours, red and yellow. This way she looks different to us and we don't all clash."  
"Sounds good." Sunstreaker nodded, selecting the appropriate colours and adding them in. He held up the finished sketch for a final inspection before handing it to his twin for approval.

"Niiiice!" Sideswipe grinned, still upside down and twisting the picture this way and that to get a better look.  
"That's enough ogling our sis!" Sunstreaker mock snapped, plucking the sketch pad from Sideswipe's grasp and earning himself a whap over the head from the rolled up magazine.  
"What are we gonna call her anyway?" Sideswipe asked. "We can't just go around calling her 'Sis' all the time."

"Well,my name isSunstreaker, your's isSideswipe, so she can be…Moonlight." Sunstreaker said. "That way, she's got a link to my name, Sun and Moon being opposites, and it rhymes with your name too."  
"Moonlight." Sideswipe repeated, trying out the feel of the word. "Yeah, I like it. Moonlight it is."

Fin


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

-Note – this takes place just after 'Treasured'

First Aid was sprawled on one of the couches in the medic's lounge in Autobot City, the medic attempting to get in a few hours of recharge time after a long shift in the OR. It was on days –or nights- like this that he could understand his mentor's frustration with the war, a frustration that had manifested in his famed temper and foul language. Though he had a personal aversion to swearing, he could understand why Ratchet used it quite extensively.

The young medic was just about to doze off when he suddenly became very aware that he wasn't alone. First Aid lunged upright to see the silhouettes of two very familiar mechs standing over him, patiently waiting.

"Sideswipe? Sunstreaker? What are you doing here?" First Aid asked. "Are you hurt?"  
"No." Sunstreaker answered, holding out a data pad. "We want a sister. And we need your help to build her."

First Aid stared at the detailed plans contained on the pad. "Where did you get these?" he asked finally.  
"It doesn't matter." Sideswipe replied. "Can you build her?"  
"I can, but it'll take time, and parts that we can't spare right now." The medic protested.  
"Don't worry about the parts." Sunstreaker interrupted. "Just build her."

The young medic went over the plans again. "It'll take time." He warned. "And I'll have to tell Rodimus."  
"So?" Sideswipe asked. "If there's a problem, we'll sort it out."

At the slight inflection Sideswipe put into his words, First Aid very quickly decided that he would make sure there would be no problems. He had known the twin hell-raisers long enough to realise that their idea of 'sorting out' usually involved at least one disconnected limb amongst the opposite party.

"I'll start work on the frame as soon as I have the supplies." The medic promised as he got up, feeling his joints creak slightly from sitting in the same position for too long.  
"Good." Sunstreaker smiled. "We'll be in touch." Silently, the twins turned and vanished through the door, leaving First Aid alone.

Several years earlier…

Ratchet looked up as the door chime to his office trilled and Sideswipe poked his head in. "Hey Ratchet." He grinned. "Can we come in? We've got some hi-grade." Sideswipe stuck one arm through the door as proof, a canister of the said substance in hand.  
The CMO narrowed his optics slightly. "Obviously you're not hurt, so who are you hiding from this time?" He queried.  
"Nobody, honest!" The red twin replied in mock indignation. "Really Ratchet, your suspicion wounds me."  
"Join the club." Ratchet snorted, but waved the two in anyway.

"So, what do you want?" Ratchet asked when the twins had seated themselves. The twins glanced at each other. "Well, we'd, um, we'd like your help with something." Sideswipe said finally. Ratchet's optics flared slightly in surprise. In all the time he'd known the twins he'd never seen them this uncomfortable before. "Ok then, spit it out." He said, pouring himself a glass of the hi-grade and sipping it slowly.

Sunstreaker pulled a sketchpad from subspace. "We'd, we'd like to have a sister, and we want you to design her." He said quickly, handing Ratchet the pad. The medic took it and leaned back in his chair slightly, hi-grade forgotten as he studied the sketch. "So," he said at length, "does this theoretical sister have a name?"  
"Moonlight." Sideswipe answered promptly.  
"Right. So, why do you want a sister? The two of you cause me and Prowl enough trouble as it is. Can you imagine his reaction if all of a sudden there were three Lamborghini terrors running around here?"  
"She's a Ferrari." Sunstreaker corrected.

"You haven't answered my question yet." Ratchet pointed out. He set down the sketchpad and tented his fingers before his face, watching the twins closely. He had to know how serious they were about this. Ratchet had seen far too many young warriors slaughtered to risk help bring a new life into this war on a mere whim.

The twins exchanged their strange glance again; then Sideswipe twisted around to make sure the door was closed. Sunstreaker looked down at his lap, then back up at the medic. "It's always been me and Sides." He said quietly. "Nobody else. We've only had each other, now we want someone."  
"Someone?" Ratchet repeated.  
"Someone else to share with." Sunstreaker explained. "Nobody from the outside can come close. They have to be one of us."

Both twins were looking at Ratchet now, unspoken questions in their faces. In one of thoserare flashes of insight, Ratchet suddenly understood what they were trying to communicate to him. They wanted someone to love. He had heard that before the war, the twins were quite popular in the social circles. And naturally, with their good looks and roguish charm, were equally if not more popular with the femmes. But no matter how long the relationship lasted, there was no love. To everyone outside of their bond, there was always a barrier that only the other twin could penetrate. Now they wanted someone else who could.

Ratchet pulled a stylus and a design slate out of subspace. "Alright." He said. "You said her alt mode is a Ferrari, right?"


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

As soon as he got off shift, First Aid went over to Rodimus' office to explain the situation. Surprisingly, the young Prime was more than happy for First Aid to construct the body shell at the City, and even offered to give the medic more time off so that he could work on it.

When he left the office, Fireflight was waiting outside for him. "Hey First Aid, did you order more supplies?" The Arialbot asked.  
"No, why?" The medic asked, confused.  
"Well, there's a whole pile of crates in the Repair Bay with your ID number on them." Fireflight explained.  
"What?"

First Aid jogged down to the 'Bay, and sure enough, about half a dozen large boxes were neatly stacked in one corner of the main ward. First Aid prised off the lid of the closest one and found a data pad atop the packing material.

'_This should be enough. Need anything else, just contact us. S&S'_

Several years earlier…

"Ok, this should do it." Ratchet said. He tapped a final command into the design slate and set it on the desk. The screen glowed for a moment, then projected a small hologram of what the finished Moonlight would look like.

The twins leaned in to get a good look at the rotating image.

"Well?" Ratchet prompted.  
"She's perfect!" Sideswipe exaulted, a huge grin plastered across his face and one arm wrapped around his smiling brother's shoulder. The two started jabbering at each other, pointing out this feature and that and repeatedly thanking the medic.

Ratchet felt a smile tug at his lips. When he had been a simple civilian medic, one of the greatest joys of his profession had been helping design and build body shells for transformers who wanted their own creation. Seeing that exuberant happiness bubbling up in the twins, especially in the more withdrawn and less expressive Sunstreaker, was one of those rare moments that made the medic feel that his job was worth it.

The door chime sounded. In a flurry of motion, the twins stuffed the 'slate under a data pad, subspaced the hi-grade and seated themselves, Sideswipe slouched in his chair with his long legs stretched out in front of him and Sunstreaker with one arm hooked over the back of the chair, a studied expression of sullen boredom on his sculpted face. Ratchet blinked. If he hadn't seen it himself he would have never guessed the twins capable of such a feat. Obviously, they'd done it before.

"Come in." he said, eyeing the twins slightly. Prowl entered, data pad in hand.

The black and white saw the twins, paused slightly as he assessed the situation, then dismissed the matter with a twitch of his door wings. If Ratchet wanted to lecture the twins in private, the whys and wherefores were not his business. "Pardon the interruption, but I need to see your latest requisition forms before I can submit the final list." He said.  
"Right, should be here." Ratchet answered, shuffling through the stacks of data pads on his desk. "Ah, found it." He said, turning the requested item over to the 2IC.

Prowl nodded his thanks and turned to leave, when his sharp optics picked out the corner of the design slate. "Is this the new weapon Wheeljack was talking about?" he asked as he picked up the slate and activated it. Ratchet tried to make a grab for the slate, the twins almost lunged out of their seats, but it was too late. Prowl studied the hologram for a moment, one optic ridge raised. "Obviously not." He commented mildly, then looked at Ratchet. "Who is she?" he asked.  
"Their sister." Ratchet finally said, waving one hand in the twin's direction.

"Sister." Prowl repeated, door wings twitching in surprise. He turned his gaze in the twins' direction. "_Your_ sister."  
"Yeah, so?" Sunstreaker replied, a hint of challenge in his voice.  
"It's not like we'll use her for target practice or anything." Sideswipe added.

Prowl regarded them for a long minute. "Seeing as how the Ark barely survives the two of you, I shall have to instruct Hoist and Grapple to strengthen the walls so that they can withstand three." He said, the barest hint of a smile flickering across his face.

It took a moment for Prowl's words to sink in. "Really? You're gonna let us have her?" Sideswipe asked in disbelief.  
Prowl shrugged. "Why should I not? If Ratchet approves of such an undertaking, then I will not oppose it. He is the CMO." He said, then returned the 'slate and walked out the door like nothing had happened.

Several years later…

First Aid stared at the plans, then at the tools and metal support struts that he had arranged on one of the berths in the smallest of the isolation wards, the young medic feeling his spark sink as he absorbed the enormity of the task before him. There was no way he could do this, no way at all.

"Hey First Aid, I see y' got th' delivery."

The CMO turned to see Jazz saunter into the small room. "Jazz, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Had t' deliver a dispatch anyway, so I came t' check on how th' lil' lady was comin' along." Jazz replied with a grin. "Th' twins asked me t' look after the parts at th' embassy fer a bit, an' asked me t' have it all delivered here last night." He explained, then noticed the medic's worried expression. "What's with th' long face?" he asked.

First Aid groaned and sat down on the edge of the berth. "I can't do this Jazz." He confessed. "Sure, I can repair mechs, but I've never _built_ anyone before. I'm not qualified for this." First Aid put the data pad down and sighed. "They should get someone else to build her."  
Jazz sat down next to him. "Dude," he said, "Y' got approved an' trained by Ratchet. In th' twin's world, that's all th' credentials y' need. And don't sweat it, they'd have never trusted Moonlight t' ya if they didn't know she was safe with ya."


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Over the next few weeks, the body slowly started to come together. The twins dropped in every second or third day to check up on their sister, silently watching every move First Aid made as he carefully pieced Moonlight together. The first couple of times they did that was more than a little unnerving for the CMO, but he recognised that they wanted to be there to protect Moonlight in case anything happened.

Several years earlier…

The twins watched eagerly as Ratchet liberated several components from their packing cases and set them aside. "Are those for Moonlight?" Sideswipe asked.  
"Yup. Better put them aside with the others." Ratchet answered.  
"Gotcha." Sunstreaker replied, carefully collecting up the parts and putting them in the corner of the storeroom reserved for Moonlight's parts.

Ratchet concealed a smile as he watched the twins out of the corner of his optic. Their child like enthusiasm was downright infectious, and their patience with the tedious process of collecting all the needed parts was uncharacteristic to say the least.

When the Ark had crashed, it had carried with it more than enough parts to re-build the Autobot contingent several times over. Unfortunately, repairs and building the five Dinobots had used up the majority of the specialised components and they were forced to wait for the monthly shipments from Cybertron to bring the essential parts that they could not manufacture on Earth.

"So how much more do we need, Ratchet?" Sideswipe asked as the twins returned.  
"All I'm waiting on is the laser core and the spark. I sent a transmission to the Femmes to get one from Vector Sigma with the personality requirements you requested." Ratchet answered. "After that, it's a matter of writing her base code and operating procedures."

The medic sighed and gestured for the twins to sit. He hated having to tell anyone this, but it was necessary. "I'm warning you now so that there are no surprises later. Don't get too attached to Moonlight just yet. Sometimes a spark doesn't take to a frame and it dissipates. Sometimes the laser core or CPU won't accept the spark and there's a fatal conflict. I'm not saying that it will happen, but..."  
"But it won't." Sunstreaker interrupted. "Nothing's gonna go wrong."  
"Cause you're building her." Sideswipe finished.

0o0o0

When the final parts arrived and the armour plate was fabricated, Ratchet began the tedious job of writing Moonlight's software. He worked from a template, making the job slightly easier, but he took his time to make sure it was perfect.

In creating the Dinobots, Ratchet had to admit that with the original three he and Wheeljack had been winging it somewhat. Neither mech had built a warrior before, much less three, and not with an animalistic alt mode or a time constraint as well. They needed some brute force and they needed it quickly.

For the base motion software they had to borrow some of Hound's nature videos and several monster movies to get an idea of how the animals moved. The finished code was far less thorough than what Ratchet would have liked, but it was based around a learn and expand protocol that would let the resulting mechs develop as they aged.

Moonlight would be different to both the Dinobots and the other mechs and femmes Ratchet had built. She would know how to move, speak and think straight from the outset, with a fully developed 'adult' personality.

By this time, everyone had heard about Moonlight, and requests for progress reports were almost daily. _"This girl's gonna have one huge extended family."_ Ratchet thought to himself as he worked, laying out the foundations for her personality.

Several years later…

Finally, after six months of work, the body shell was complete. First Aid carefully sealed the helmet and stepped back to admire his work. Smokey grey metal formed a delicately feminine face. The closed optic shutters hid optics of the same medium blue as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, slightly hooded and with gracefully arched optic ridges.

There were slight traces of her brother's features about Moonlight's own, mainly around the chin and forehead. Her armour was painted a dusky pale blue, reminiscent of the morning sky. The Autobot sigil was a crimson splash just above the curve of her chest, bright and bold. Looking at the femme, there was no doubt she was built to move with elegance and grace, but with the deadly speed of a warrior.

"She looks just like how Ratchet designed her." Sunstreaker murmured, standing beside the CMO. First Aid almost jumped, the twins had been so silent he'd forgotten that they were there.  
"Yeah, you did good 'Aid." Sideswipe grinned and clapped the medic's shoulder. "You did real good."  
"Thanks." First Aid said, then paused for a moment. "How come Ratchet didn't build her? What happened?"

A flicker of sadness passed over both twins. "'Splain later." Sideswipe replied. "When can we put her spark in?"  
"Better wait about eight hours to let the programming stabilize." First Aid advised. "I'll run a final diagnostic in the morning."  
"Ok. We can wait." Sunstreaker said. The twins settled into their chairs again, optics never leaving the seemingly sleeping form of their soon to be sister.


	5. Chapter 5

_Quick note- Sorry about the long delay folks, I had a bit of a hang up trying to get this chapter just right. Many thanks to AngelsWind, TruebornChaos, Twi Silvermoon, Flyby Stardancer, Draange, Misfitz, Tiamat1972, DesertCat87, PuraJazzBot, ShadowShock, Tirya King, Football girl 11, and Sweetfires for your reviews :D _

* * *

Part 5

When First Aid arrived the next morning the twins were still there, keeping vigil. "Do you have a spark for her?" He asked as he set up the equipment. Sunstreaker gave him a 'what kind of idiot are you' look and gestured to the transparisteel container that Sideswipe held. A shimmering silver blue spark bobbed and flickered within.

Several years earlier…

"Well, tomorrow I start construction, and within a month you'll have a sister." Ratchet announced with a tired smile, throwing himself into a chair in the main ward. The twins' answering grins were huge.

Sideswipe turned to the spark canister on the berth beside him. "Hear that sis? You'll be one of us in no time." He grinned, gently stroking the transparent wall of the chamber. The spark seemed to flicker slightly in response.  
Ratchet watched the exchange curiously. "I don't know why you two keep doing that. She can't hear you." He commented.  
"Carly and Spike talked to Daniel while he was still under construction." Sunstreaker pointed out.  
"Yeah, but they're organics." Ratchet answered. "I doubt the same rules apply."  
"But she recognises us!" Sideswipe insisted. "Look, you try it. Put your hand on the chamber and talk to her."

Feeling somewhat self-conscious, Ratchet hauled himself out of his seat and carefully touched his hand to the side of the chamber. "Hey Moonlight, my name's Ratchet. I'm the one who's building you." He said, watching carefully for any response. To his utter amazement, the spark flared a brilliant blue before settling down.

"Toldja." Sideswipe grinned. "Tomorrow, can we watch?"  
"Yeah, why not. Just make sure you're not on duty first."  
"Okay."

But tomorrow never came.

During the night, the Autobots were roused with the news that Iacon had fallen to the advancing hoards of Megatron's army. The handful of Autobot survivors fled to Earth, and Prime ordered the acceleration of construction of Autobot City and the Moonbase staging grounds. Before the year was out the Autobot forces were being redeployed in preparation for what would be one of the biggest Autobot-initiated assaults in the history of the war.

Ratchet stood in his repair bay in the Ark, sweeping his optics over it one last time. "You take good care of these boys First Aid." He said to his subordinate. "They'll give you a trailer load of scrap at times, but don't let it get to you, they're just seeing what you're made of."  
"Take care Ratchet." First Aid replied. "The Ark will still be standing when you get back."  
"Sideswipe is gonna be here without Prowl to watch him." The older medic pointed out.  
"Ah. Point taken." First Aid replied, looking up as the double doors swung open to admit the twins. "I'll be back to see you off." The Protectobot said as he quietly left.

"I still can't believe this is happening." Sideswipe mumbled, hoisting himself up onto a berth, Moonlight's spark chamber nestled in the crook of his arm.  
"Yeah." Sunstreaker murmured, seating himself beside his twin.

Ratchet watched them. Their looming separation was obviously going to be hard to handle, but he was confident the twins were strong enough to cope. "Just make sure you take care of the Ark, Sideswipe." He said gruffly. "Some of us would like a base to come home to."

Sideswipe grinned and held up his free hand. "I won't break a thing. Scout's honour." He replied with an impish grin. "I won't even throw a party either."  
"Tracks and Trailbreaker will handle that." Ratchet grinned. "Make sure you take care of Moonlight."  
"I will." Sideswipe promised. "Wanna say goodbye?" He asked, holding out the canister.

"Why not." Ratchet shrugged and touched the container. "Hey Moonlight, you behave yourself, y'hear? And keep Sideswipe in line, he won't have me on his tail for a bit." The spark flared again under the medic's touch, eliciting a fond smile from the CMO.

"_All Autobots please report to the landing platform." _Prowl's voice cracked over the PA system.

"That's our cue." Ratchet said. "Let's go."

0o0o0

Within the space of a few weeks, the darkest hour of Cybertron's time threw it's shadow over the war. Autobot City was broken, Unicron revealed, and a new Prime rose from the rubble to light the Matrix.

But Sideswipe cared little for such momentous events.

He had been part of the rearguard set to defend the Ark. He, along with Tracks, Trailbreaker and some of the Minibots, were ordered to hold their positions when the attack on the City had begun in case of a secondary wave.

The first time Sideswipe saw his brother was when Ultra Magnus brought him, along with scores of other wounded, to the Ark for treatment, the City's medical facilities being either inaccessible or inadequate to deal with the glut of patients.

Then the dead were recovered, and brought back to the Ark.

Sideswipe entered the cabin he shared with his twin, shoulders sagging. He hadn't believed it, he refused to believe it, right up to the point where he shoved his way through the crowd of mourners and beheld the shattered bodies of his commander, comrades and friends.

Now he sat in the gloom of his shared room, the only illumination coming from Moonlight's spark, resting on the bunk usually reserved for Sunstreaker. Slowly, Sideswipe reached out with one black hand and trailed his fingertips across the clear wall of the container. The spark flickered familiarly. "Hey 'light." He said softly. "I got some bad news. There was an attack. Sunny got hurt, but he'll be ok." Sideswipe paused, gathering his thoughts. "You remember Ratchet? He, he got caught in the first part of the attack. He…didn't make it. Ratchet's gone, so is Prime, and Ironhide, and Prowl, and Wheeljack, and…" He trailed off, unable to continue as the reality of the situation suddenly registered in Sideswipe's mind.

The silence was broken only by one warrior's dry sobs as he curled up beside his brother's bunk, shoulders shaking as he sought comfort from his sister's spark.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

With extreme care, First Aid gently lifted Moonlight's spark from the chamber that had contained it for almost two years. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker watched eagerly as the glowing ball of silver and blue was carefully lowered into the open chest cavity and the panels sealed shut.

Silently, the young CMO backed out of the room. This would be an extremely special moment for the Autobot twins, and he had no desire to intrude.

Several years earlier…

It had been about a week after the funeral for the Autobots who fell in the attack on Autobot City. Sunstreaker had by now recovered from his injuries, and was usually found sitting quietly with his brother, their fire and energy temporarily spent in the wake of the loss of their comrades.

Carly was on her way to find Spike and Daniel when she happened across the two in the old rec room. "Hey, how's it going?" she asked with what she hoped was a friendly grin.  
"Fine." Sideswipe answered shortly.

The human watched them for a moment, maternal instincts immediately telling her what the problem was. "It's Moonlight, isn't it?" She asked. The two mechs gave her startled looks. She smiled slightly. "Don't be so surprised. Now what's gotten into you?"

The twins shifted somewhat uncomfortably. "Well, 'cause Ratchet's…," Sideswipe paused and skipped over the next word, "Moonlight ain't gonna get built."  
"You still have her spark, right? And all the plans and the parts?" Carly asked.  
"Yeah." Sunstreaker shrugged. "How does that help? We can't build her."  
"What about First Aid?" The human queried. "He was Ratchet's intern, right? As long as you give him all the pieces, he should be able to put her together."

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker looked at each other, then down at the human. "Yeah, he could. Thanks Carly." Sideswipe said, a hint of his old grin tugging at his lips as the twins got up and hurried out of the room.

Several years later…

One by one, systems booted up and components activated. Grey fingers twitched, the crafted brow furrowed slightly, and the optic shutters slid open for the first time. Slowly, Moonlight sat up and slid off the berth, resting one hand on its edge for support as she adjusted to the act of standing.

The twins were by her side immediately, gently guiding her to a chair and sitting her down. She looked up at them, head tilted to one side in curiosity as she looked from one smiling face to the other.

Hesitantly, as if unsure how the gesture would be received, she reached up and gently touched Sideswipe's face with one hand, long fingers carefully exploring it's contours. She then turned and repeated the gesture for Sunstreaker, a smile lighting up her features. "I know you." She exclaimed happily. "You, you're Sunstreaker." She said, touching the mech's face briefly again, as if to cement in her mind the name and the face that went with it. "You're Sideswipe." Moonlight then said, doing the same to the red twin.

"That's right." Sunstreaker grinned. "Welcome to the world, Moonlight."  
"We've been waiting for ya." Sideswipe finished.  
Moonlight grinned, then frowned slightly. "I remember there was another. Where is he?" She asked, then corrected herself. "No, wait, something bad happened." She looked up at Sideswipe. "You told me."

"Yeah, something very bad happened." Sideswipe replied sadly. "Lemme explain…"

Several hours later, when the twins didn't emerge from the ward, First Aid decided to check on them, just in case. He keyed the door open and stepped inside.

The three Autobots were all sitting against the back wall of the room, Moonlight nestled between her older brothers and all three deep in recharge. Smiling behind his face mask, First Aid set down the energon he had brought and quietly left.

* * *

_-Glad you like it :D  
AngelsWind- This is after the events of the movie, so Ratchet and quite a few other bots are dead  
TruebornChoas- Me neither, but happier times are ahead  
Draange- Yeah, but in the twins' opinion, at this stage Moonlight is there, she just doesn't have a body yet  
Misfitz- Will do ;)  
DesertCat87- Thanks :D, that part was the hardest one to get right  
__Flyby Stardancer- Glad you like it :D  
Tiamat1972- Don't worry, things'll get much happier now  
Chiomon- That answer your question? ;)__  
__  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_This chapter's a tribute to Straya and her fantastic fic 'Second Chances' :D_

* * *

Part 7

The next day, while it was still dark, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker led their new-forged sister to Lookout Mountain. They walked up, Moonlight not yet used to driving, then sat together on the rebuilt lookout platform, legs dangling over the edge.

"It's so beautiful." Moonlight whispered in awe as the sun rose, staining the clouds pink and gold as it's rim peeked over the mountains that rimmed the low lying basin the City sat in.  
"Yeah. Me an' Sides used to watch the sunrise with whatever poor sap got stuck on nightwatch with us." Sunstreaker said, his voice carrying a tone of quiet reverence. "Blue' used to love it."

"I still do."

Sheepishly, the blue and grey gunner edged out from behind the trees where he had been standing. "Can I, I mean, I hope I'm not interrupting, 'cause y'know, you look like you're having some time together so I think I'll just go and…"  
"Blue, get over here and siddown." Sideswipe interrupted, friendly smile belaying his words. Bluestreak perked up visibly and joined the trio, but maintained a respectful distance between himself and Sideswipe.

Birds started warbling in the shrubs as the sun's light grew brighter, finally catching the glass and golden walls of the City itself, making it shine in the dewy glow of an early summer morning.

"Is it always like this?" Moonlight asked, leaning on Sideswipe's shoulder.  
"Like what, sis?" Sideswipe asked. He rolled the last word around in his mind for a moment, enjoying the feel of it.

"Is it always so beautiful?" The femme asked, waving one hand towards the landscape. "So colourful?"  
"Sometimes. But I think this morning is one of the better ones." Sunstreaker chuckled to himself. "No wonder Hound fell in love with this planet."

Sideswipe watched his brother's face out of the corner of his optic. Truth be told, for the past few months he had been worried about his twin, the golden warrior seemingly more withdrawn and moody than ever before. But Moonlight, first under construction and now physically here had changed him, and, Sideswipe realised, had changed himself as well.

And, he reflected with a smile, he liked it.

0o0o0

Some time later, the trio had finally made it back into the City, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker instinctively flanking their sister. Bluestreak had stayed up on the mountain, saying that he had promised to take Carly to visit Hound and Trailbreaker while Spike and Daniel were meeting several heads of state in Tokyo.

They were just inside the outer courtyard when a voice called out a cheery "Hey, wazzup?" Jazz grinned and waved as he approached the trio.

"Yo Jazz! Whatcha doing here?" Sideswipe called back.  
"Ambassador stuff f' Roddy." Jazz replied, then turned to Moonlight. "Hey lil' lady, my name's Jazz." He held out one hand in greeting.  
"Moonlight." She replied shyly, taking his hand  
"Well, I for one am very pleased t' be makin' your acquaintance." Jazz replied with a smile. "Your brothers must've stolen a beauty like you from th' starry heavens when they chose your name."

Moonlight giggled bashfully, and would have been blushing bright red if she had the capacity to do so.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker watched but didn't interrupt, both knowing that Jazz wouldn't try anything.

"Well, though I'd much rather stay here an' chat, I gotta scoot. I'll find ya t'night." Jazz said, then transformed and pulled away.

"He's nice." Moonlight commented, watching the Porsche drive deeper into the complex.  
"Yeah, Jazz is a real good mech." Sunstreaker affirmed.  
"Where are we going now?" The new-forged femme queried. Her brothers were silent for a moment.  
"You remember the people we told you about last night?" Sideswipe asked.  
"Yes."  
"Well, we're gonna introduce you to them." Sunstreaker replied.

0o0o0

The gallery they led Moonlight to was to the rear of the complex, well away from the hum of activity in the main part of the city. A series of large windows made up one side of the wide hall, overlooking the landing pad and the mountains that ringed the valley to the south. The other side of the hallway was lined with life sized holograms of the warriors that had fallen in the battle for Autobot City. Although there were statues of the fallen on the promenade infront of the command centre, the twins preferred the holograms that Hound had created. A program in each pedestal cycled through about a dozen images of the mech it was dedicated to over the period of a couple of months.

The first image was that of Prowl, caught in mid motion as he brought up his pellet gun, lips slightly parted and optics narrowed as he stared at a point on the horizon, door wings held high.

"Who is he?" Moonlight asked, head tilted slightly to one side. She reached up to touch the hologram, but was disappointed to find that her hand fell through it.  
"He's Prowl." Sideswipe said. "Nice enough, really smart. We gave him hell more than he deserved."

"And him?" Moonlight pointed to the next hologram. This one was of Ironhide, the old mech looking irritated as he cracked his knuckle joints.  
"That's Ironhide. He wasn't usually that grumpy, I think Hound just caught him on a bad day." Sunstreaker said. "Hey Sides, didn't Hound record this one during that battle just after Megatron shot Ratchet?"  
"Yeah, I think he was about to lay into Hook after the Dinobots charged the Constructicons." The red Lamborghini answered.

Moonlight had already moved to the next hologram, Ratchet's one. He was looking down at them, one hand holding a laser scalpel and the other resting on his hip, the medic's face displaying a comforting half smile, the one he wore just before he shut you down for surgery, the one that said you were going to be alright.

The femme turned to her brothers. "He's Ratchet, isn't he?" She asked.  
"Yeah. He designed you, and saved us Pit knows how many times." Sideswipe said, looking up at the medic's face and remembering seeing that smile. He canted a grin in Sunstreaker's direction. "Remember that prank we pulled and it all went haywire?"  
"Yeah. I actually though Ratchet was going to flay us that time." Sunstreaker grinned.

"Can you tell me about it, please?" Moonlight asked. "I didn't really know Ratchet, I want to hear more about him, about all of them."  
"Sure." Sideswipe grinned. He sat down on the wide windowsill, Moonlight sitting cross-legged beside him and Sunstreaker sitting beside her. "Now, where shall I start…"

0o0o0

Hours later, night had settled on the City, and the trio was still in the gallery. Jazz had joined them for an hour or two, adding his stories to the web of tales the brothers were weaving for their sister, before regrettably having to depart for another meeting.

Moonlight had dozed off not long after that, curled up between her brothers, using Sunstreaker's thigh as a pillow. The golden twin had one hand resting protectively on the dusky blue shoulder, probably not realising it.

"Hey Sunny?"  
"Yeah?" Sunstreaker asked.  
Sideswipe looked out at the starry skies. "You think Ratchet's still out there somewhere?"  
"Maybe. He always was too stubborn to die. Same with the rest of 'em." Sunstreaker waved one hand at the line of holograms. "I mean, Ratch' spent who knows how many years keeping all of us alive, defying Death would be second nature to him. And if he was alive, Ratchet would drag all the rest of them back with him just because he could."  
"Yeah." Sideswipe grinned mischievously. "It'd be great if they came back. We'd drive Prowl up the wall now that we've got backup."  
"Well, if they were and we heard about it," Sunstreaker looked up at the sky, "I know a few 'bots who'd get out there and not stop looking."


End file.
